Safety device for cigarette cut-offs



Sept. 6, 1932. E. D. SMETH SAFETY DEVICE FDR CIGARETTE CUT-QFFS Filed Aug. 21, 1931 INVENTO %%4 K9,

I Ii

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNlTEE STATE Parent FFECE ELBERON 1). SMITH, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MACHINE &

FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SAFETY DEVICE FOR CIGARETTE CUT-OFFS Application filed August 21, 1931.

cigarette rod. When this occurs, the tendency is to strip the gears driving the cutoff disk since these gears are made rather light to avoid unbalanced or counterbalanced weight and resulting vibration and are geared rather high to get a quick smooth cut, necessitating an expensive repair and a. considerable loss of production.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to eliminate so far as possible any injury from such obstructions or where that is not possible, to confine such injuries to the spoiling of an inexpensive and quickly replaced blade, and to do this without appreciably complicating the machine or appreciably adding to the unbalanced weight on constructions in which the blade driving means has bodily movement on a rotating carrier. To this end it is an object to provide a simple, light and efiective clutch device for permitting slipping of the blade relative to its driving means. With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specife cally set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a cigarette cut-off illustrating the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

In carrying the invention into effect, there Serial No. 558,546.

is provided a cigarette cut-E having in combination a disk blade, a rotatable mount for supporting and driving said blade, a gear drive for positively rotating said blade and means on said mount for frictionally gripping said disk to permit slipping of the blade without injuring the gear drive when the blade meets an abnormal obstruction. In the best constructions, this rotatable mount is supported on a revolving carrier for orbital movement about the axis of the carrier. Preferably said means include a friction clutch between the gear drive and the blade which the friction means in the best form include a collar on the mount engaging on one side of the blade and a spring washer on the other side of the blade. The various means referred to may be varied widely in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The inven tion therefore is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

Referring to the drawing, a rotating knife carrier disk 5 is illustrated which is mounted on a shaft 6 driven from the main drive of the cigarette machine. The disk 5 has a slidably supported carrier head 7 supporting on a rotatable mount or spindle 8 the circular knife blade 9. The knife spindle 8'is driven from a spiral gear 10 of light construction, meshing with a spiral gear 11 slidably mounted on the square end 12 of a shaft 13. The latter carries a bevel gear 14: which, by the rotating of disk 5 travels about a stationary bevel gear 15 fastened to the flange of cut oif housing 16. The circular knife 9 is gripped by a flat peripheral portion of a dished spring disk or washer 17 equipped with radial slots 18,-and a collar 19 mounted on knife shaft 8. Spring disk 17 is fastened to shaft 8 by clamp nut 20 and collar 21. Holding the rotating circular knife 9 by friction created by spring 'mechanism is still turning and without danger of breaking the gearing.

The continuously moving cigaretterod is guided towards the rotating knife 9 by means of a mouthpiece 22 and thencut in the desired lengths of the cigarettes between mouthpiece 22am ledger plate 23. A Whatis claimed is: I y

1. A cigarette cutoff having'incombination a disk blade, a rotatable mount for supporting and driving said bladepa gear drive for 1' A positively rotating. said mount, and means on said mount for"frictionallygripping said a disk 'to permit slipping of the blade Without injuringthe gear drive when the blade 7 mee an abnormal obstruction. I

' 2. A cigarette cutoff having n combination Y a disk blade, a rotatable mount .forsupportofthe blade.

ing and driving said blade, a gear drive for positively rotati-ngsaidmount, means on said mount for friction'ally gripping s'aiddisk to permit slippingof the-blade without injuringthe gear drive when the blademeets an ab-v normal obstruction, and a revolving carriersupporting said mountfor orbitalmovement about the axis of the carrier said carrier be ing provided with a slidably supported car'- rier head supporting said mount, and said gear drive including a gear on said mount, a shaft on said carrier, a gear slidably mounted on one end of said shaft, abevel gear fixed on the other end of said shaft, and a stationary bevel gearineshing with the bevel gear fixed on said shaft.

r 3. A cigarette cutofl having in combination a diskblade, a rotatable mount forsupporting driving said blade, a gear drive for positively' rotating said mount, means on said mount for frictionally'gripping said disk to permit slipping of the blade without injuring the gear drive when the'blade meets an abnormal obstruction, said means including a collar on the mount located on one side ,ofthe, blade and a springwasher on thelother side Y A cigarette cutofi'having in combination a diskblade, a rotatable'mount for supporting and driving said blade, a gear drive for positively rotating said mount, means on disk, and a device for clamping the hub of the washer to'said mount.- e 4 p r 5. A cigarette cutoff having in combination a revolving carrier, a disk'bla'de, means ro-h tatably mounting saidblade onthe carrie ofa gear drive for rotating said bladerel tive to the carrier, and a device carried by? said means for frictionally grippingsaid disk blade for permitting the blade to slipfwithout injnry to the gear drive whenjthe blade meets an, obstruction. V

v I In testimony whereof, have *signedmy' nametothis specification. l V 7' LBERQND. MITH said mount for frictionally gripping said disk to permit slipping oft-he blade without injuring the gear driveiwhen the blade meets an abnormal obstruction, said means includ ing a collar on the mount located on'one side of -the blade was; dished radially slotted washer having a fiat peripheral surfacein engagement with the opposite side of said r g 

